THE FLARE ACOUSTIC ARTS LEAGUE is (at present): LD Beghtol and you (or someone like you).
Influences
Karl Panzram, William Blake, Nan Goldin, Joe Orton, Chris Xefos, Andy Warhol, Candy Darling, Ruth Rendell, Lisa Germano, Reginald Hill, Liz Mask, Glenway Wescott, Dana Kletter, Les Six, Obscura and you.
Sounds Like
"With CUT, [Beghtol] once again illuminates our ears with luminescent numbers such as the hot 'Hands of Fire,' 'Reminiscences of a Minnesota State Training School Alumnus, Circa 1905,' the queer drinking song 'Ballad of Little Brown Bear,' the infectious '4F,' and the breathtaking 'Love Finds Andy Warhol.' --CHICAGO FREE PRESS ************************************************************************************ "Diverse and brilliantly produced ... Beghtol’s dark humour is evident throughout." --FORFOLKSAKE.COM ************************************************************************************ "Imagine Scott Walker and a symphony orchestra gnawing off their legs and crawling into a snowy night to die. Mishima would love this one." --INK19 ************************************************************************************ "On hearing the beginning of Cut’s opening track, 'Reminiscences of Minnesota State Training School Alumnus, Class of 1905,' we experienced something akin to unearthing a long-lost gem. --PLANETNOTION.COM ************************************************************************************ "The Yeah Yeah Yeahs... clearly inhabit a very different Brooklyn to Beghtol..." --DROWNEDINSOUND ************************************************************************************
"['Love Finds Andy Warhol' is] CUT’s big anthemic number, with a snazzy, melancholy and sweet melody and various singers taking turns, especially at the end (including the instantly recognizable Stephin Merritt). The song uses Andy Warhol Factory personalities as embodiments of us all, framing life (and celebrity-dom) as a pursuit of love, without the end result necessarily being good: “Love finds Andy Warhol / But it’s not a pretty picture”. It’s a complicated song – very catchy, slightly funny, sad, and hopeful but not really. A complicated album too, in all of the best ways. --ERASINGCLOUDS.COM ************************************************************************************ "[CUT] is artistically sound romantic escapism. --NEW SOUNDS ************************************************************************************ "LD Beghtol may be familiar as the boudoir fop from The Magnetic Fields’ 69 LOVE SONGS, but his swoony croon and metaphysical wit find true expression in his own projects: Moth Wranglers, the New Criticism and notably Flare. Arranged for baroque parlour orchestra, CUT covers typically diverse topics: the lurid dreams of Henry Darger ("Hands of Fire"), the neurotic eroticism of Pop Art ("Love Finds Andy Warhol"), but chiefly the romantic travails of Beghtol himself, and "Luminary" may be his most extravagant moment of magical nihilism yet. --UNCUT ************************************************************************************
"CUT offers comical entertainment with oblique lyrics and lovely, elegant melodies ... grumpy theatrics and an exquisite instrumentation make for a very special listening experience." --LAUTE.DE.
************************************************************************************ "This is art-house pop in excelsis." --MUSIC OMH
************************************************************************************ "By successfully combining sophisticated lyrics with dreamy melodies, Flare's third album [CUT] is a real masterpiece. --UMAGAZINE ************************************************************************************ "This fellow's eclectic style of music doesn't easily fit within the strict confines seemingly required by the average American music fan. CUT is bound to be misinterpreted by a wide variety of folks. And that is, of course, a very good thing... --BABYSUE.COM ************************************************************************************ "A blend you're not likely to come across often in pop music: The sensibility of the Smiths, the art touch of Velvet Underground, forays into chamber music and country as well as well-considered words whereby book-worm Beghtol documents literary demand. An insider's tip." --PIRANHA ************************************************************************************ "Excessive and exquisite" --TITEL-MAGAZIN.DE ************************************************************************************
"CUT It is an odd, yet fantastic journey through the music world in all its iridescent colors. --GAESTELISTE.DE "************************************************************************************ "[CUT] digs deeply, almost obsessively in every genre drawer the last 60 years have to offer. Beghtol sings drunken sailor shanties followed by carefully composed pop-hits and builds song monuments for forgotten artists..." --VISIONS
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"With their unwieldy name (occasionally shortened to just Flare), intentionally cack-handed sleeve artwork and an opening track weighed down by the title ‘Reminiscences of a Minnesota State Training School Alumnus, Class of 1905’ you sort of get a feeling that LD Beghtol (for this is his baby, despite the frankly spurious claim that it involves a cast of thousands) doesn’t like to make things easy for himself. --SUBBA-CULTCHA.COM ************************************************************************************ "A delicate and luxurious musical gourmet menu for demanding connoisseurs -- already a hot contender for this year's pop best-of list." --MUSICWOCHE.DE ************************************************************************************
"Unbridled creativity and melodic subtlety -- Flare Acoustic Arts League thrives on an unbridled mix of different ingredients, whether these be choirs, chamber music instrumentals, folk-songs or the drone guitar of Alan Sparhawk ..." --POPWOLF ************************************************************************************ "It’s far from elevating, but the talented array of contributors ensures the score has enough thrills and flourishes to close the deal." --MANCHESTERMUSIC.CO.UK ************************************************************************************
"Strange and beautiful." --FOLKER.DE ************************************************************************************ "‘Hands Of Fire’, begins like ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ played on tenor uke, but explodes, after only four bars, into a battle hymn by and for the Vivian Girls - partly Southern revival joy, like Mr Beghtol; partly fervent Catholic opulence, like Mr Darger. It sounds like The Polyphonic Spree with fire in their veins instead of sops of blood and acid. --I HEART AU
New full-length album "CUT" and "HANDS OF FIRE" digital single (includes bonus non-album tracks) out now on AFFAIRS OF THE HEART. ¶ "Outstanding lyrics and boundless collaborations aplenty on this gorgeous, warm and exhilarating album. The music really speaks for itself on this one, and it speaks volumes! There's not a bad track in the house but my favourites are 'Love Finds Andy Warhol' and 'Judas Kiss'. I'm not even sure who is singing or playing the instruments but it's the brainchild of a guy called LD Beghtol. All irrelevant really because CUT is such a beautiful album, the music is more wonderful and important than the people making it. 5/5 stars" --VAINZINE
FLARE ACOUSTIC ARTS LEAGUE's Friend Space (Randomized)
We've decided to spread a little joy & mirth in a world of increasing anxiety & consternation the only way we know how: A CHRISTMAS COMPILATION!
CHRISTMAS PARTY features seasonal tracks from The 1900s, new Le Grand Magistery signees Computer Perfection {featuring 4 members of PAS/CAL}, Romantic Air Recording Co. artists Sa Sevol and Buttermilk Daydream, and PAN!C {also of PAS/CAL pedigree}.
Another highlight: A debut by AUNT BERU & THE JUICERS - their version of Here Comes Santa Claus done in the manner of the Beyoncé hit Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) .
The entire album, including print-quality sleeve art, is available as a free high-quality 320kbps MP3 download at www. romanticair. com
Happy Holidays! - RAR & the boys/girl of Computer Perfection
I miss you. I'm baking blueberry pies with fresh Michigan blueberries I bought in Kalamazoo between Chicago and Detroit (the faded and decrepit beauty we were filming in last weekend).
I hope the pies are good. Want a slice when they're cooled, pretty bear boy?
Today, Tuesday 22, at 7 o..clock , Evripidis and his Tragedies is playing an acustic set at the Living Room. Expect cabaret decadence, indie piano pop , kithcen-sink dramas , lilliputian soap operas and lo-fi doo wop! Arrive early!It..s free. The Living Room, 54 Ludlow, NYC 10002, between Stanton and Rivington , Lower East Side xo
I loved the inaugural podcast of HIGH BIAS. I'd been wanting a nice bottle of spirits to break across my iTunes window, so to speak, & some new crystal glasses to pitch at the hearthstone of my LGBT Pride Month.
I'm getting both from LD's "Nostalgia = Death" theme. Almost all the music's been new to me, the old & the new songs. It's a great way to treasure queer heritage without clinging to it.
But thank god there's more to life than rainbows and sweeping up each year. I can't wait to see what prisms LD twists after this.
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